


When did you know she was the one?

by whopooh



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Sweetness, Undercover as a Couple, silly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 22:43:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14067195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whopooh/pseuds/whopooh
Summary: Phryne and Jack have to get into a wedding planning event for a case. There's nothing for it but to fake it, is there?





	When did you know she was the one?

“Quick, Miss Fisher,” Jack said, dragging Phryne to the side. The suspect was getting away and he had to think fast. “We need to make it into that restaurant.” He made a slight pause. “And I’m afraid we’ll need to be engaged to be married.”

“I’m sorry?” Phryne answered. She had come to the same conclusion, of course, but she never thought she would hear Jack make such a suggestion. 

“That’s the only reasonable way to not raise suspicions at this event; why would we be here otherwise? And it seems we do need to get in, sooner rather than later.” 

She nodded. There was some kind of event about weddings, and the suspect they had been looking for had turned out to work here. Luckily, she was well-dressed enough to blend into an event like that—there were perks to having a proper wardrobe. And she supposed Jack’s suit would do; he did have a rather nice tie. He usually did. She guessed it was his one little window for luxury and fancy. Perhaps that’s why she always felt so drawn to it. His tie for the day was the one he had bought for that dinner of theirs that never happened, as her father came and destroyed it all. That had been last week; they had wrapped up the case of the magic show just a few days ago. Both the promise and the uncertainty still lingered between them, as they now found themselves to be knee deep in a new investigation.

She raised her eyes from his tie to his eyes, seeing him looking at her with an amused look.

“Do you think you’re up to it? Is your thespian fresh enough?” he asked, interpreting her silence as doubt.

She straightened before his eyes, her eyes sparkling.

“Jack! How can you even doubt that?”

“That’s what I thought, Miss Fisher,” he said with a smile.

She put her hand on his arm, a jokingly chastising look in her eyes. This was a rather delicious proposal. 

“If we’re engaged to be married, you cannot call me ‘Miss Fisher,’ Jack. That’s a dead giveaway.”

“You’re right,” he said. “Phryne. Darling.” 

He smiled as he said it, his eyes not leaving hers as he reached out to caress her cheek.

“What are you doing, Jack?” She quirked an eyebrow questioningly, intrigued by his boldness.

“Apologies,” he said, his hand still cradling her. “How long since you refreshed your lipstick?”

“Just ten minutes ago. Why?”

His hand slipped behind her neck and he pulled her to him to kiss her, just as he had done once before on duty, and just as he’d hoped to be doing at that dinner she had invited him to. It didn’t seem to matter that he had experienced it before—he still got lost in the taste of her, before managing to extricate himself. He couldn’t stop himself from looking into her eyes as he withdrew, and he could feel his heart stutter. There was no taste of garlic this time.

“What was that for?” She sounded slightly out of breath.

He wiped his lips with the backside of his hand, making sure he didn’t do it too thoroughly, also staining his collar a little bit with the deep red colour.

“Just trying to look like I’m so in love I can’t keep my hands off you,” he answered. 

“Good thinking,” she said, looking at him with an appreciative smile. “Not convincing enough, though.” She stood on her toes and pressed a second kiss on his lips, holding his face with both her hands and making it much more thorough than his—he admitted in hindsight—rather feeble attempt. She didn’t stop until he groaned under her assault and his hand had somehow found its way to her waist to pull her closer. When she stepped back, she noticed he had problems focusing his gaze.

“That’s better,” she said, assessing him professionally. Then she took the lipstick out of her bag and applied some more colour for herself. She watched him from the corner of her eye. “Now you do look hopelessly in love.”

Jack was fairly certain that might be the truth. But at least it had the benefit of helping the case.

They were just about to walk into the place when he stopped her and whispered, “There’s one good rule for these kinds of things.”

“What?”

“Try to stick as close to the truth as possible. That usually makes it easier to lie.”

She gazed at him.

“This makes you sound surprisingly experienced in lying, Jack,” Phryne retorted. “Even uncannily so.”

He looked at her, trying to suss out if she meant that as a joke or as a real worry about him and his character. 

“I have been undercover before, Miss Fisher.”

“I know. Archie had a much fancier vest though,” she said, and he smiled as they went into the restaurant.

 

*

 

“When did you know she was the one?”

They had been walking around, talking with as few people as possible, checking the movements of the employees. At the buffet table they had started to talk to a woman around their own age—Cordelia, who turned out to be one of the organisers of the event, and when they went to sit down, she joined them. 

Jack looked disbelieving at her—she obviously wasn’t afraid of asking personal questions. At least the way they were sitting meant Jack had a good position to watch over the staff, and Cordelia was only slightly in the way.

“I…” he said, having trouble concentrating as he saw Phryne’s amused eyes pierce him from the side, almost making him blush. ”I don’t know. When she kicked me in the shins, perhaps? Or when she disregarded my opinion for the tenth time?”

“That doesn’t sound very romantic,” the woman answered, confused.

“Jack’s such a joker,” Phryne said and gave him the most enamoured look he’d ever seen on her face; his heart constricted and his mind went into overdrive— _was it only roleplay? if only it wasn’t. was there a chance it wasn’t?_ “He was head over heels with me long before I kicked him.” She reached out her hand to squeeze his. “Weren’t you, darling? That kick just sealed the deal.”

Jack wondered exactly how odd his smile might look for a poor onlooker. It was aimed to look like he was simply enjoying his evening, while he really felt as if he was in crossfire.

“I suppose it might have been already when you almost hit me with a large piece of wood,” he conceded, adding after a slightly too long pause, “darling.”

“Well, that made him quote Shakespeare to me, so all in all, I’d deem that a success,” Phryne said and winked at the woman.

Cordelia seemed to have gotten used to their oddities and laughed sincerely.

“You lovebirds, you,” she said, sipping her drink, then directing her beaming gaze on Phryne instead. “And you? When did you know you’d want to spend the rest of your life with this man, of all possible men?”

“Oh,” Phryne breathed in heavily, and Jack gave Cordelia a sideeye— _was she really innocent? was this a normal way of asking questions or did she secretly know their weak spots?_ —but he could see no complicity in her face, just eagerness. She just seemed overly interested in the couple before her.

Phryne looked rather taken aback at the question. Her eyes flicked quickly to Jack’s and then back. He would never admit it to anyone, but he held his breath waiting for her reply. “I guess I’ve always loved him. I just didn’t realise how much until… until he withstood all my flirting and proved what a steadfast, honourable man he is.” She paused and added, with a smile, “He’s a pillar of righteousness. He even resisted my charms when I was about to undress him at a party.”

Jack watched her; his normal, much smaller smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Their conversation partner looked intrigued.

“You’re a very odd couple,” she said. “And rather endearing. So, when is the wedding?”

Phryne’s eyes went wide. “Wedding?” she said a bit too incredulously.

“Well, we did discuss a winter wedding, _darling_ ,” Jack said, grabbing her hand in his and giving her a chastising look. “But we decided to wait for spring. Such beauty in the nature, to match my beautiful bride.” He lifted her hand to his lips, squeezing it warningly while for an outsider seeming to simply kiss her hand—he really felt he’d gotten the hang of this stealthiness. He could see she was dying to protest about her ever marrying, but she had to keep the cover.

“Isn’t that right, love?”

Phryne looked at him, annoyed at his poking her, and then turned to the woman again.

“Yes, we thought it would feel more natural with colour at a spring wedding. I am thinking of deep crimson. We can’t really wear white at our age, if you know what I mean?” Phryne said, before turning her voice into a stage whisper, her eyes round and innocent as she leaned into the woman. “Especially as my fiancée has already been married once. It didn’t go well. But don’t tell anyone… it’s a secret.”

Cordelia’s eyes went large as she regarded Phryne, and then Jack. “That is scandalous,” she said, her eyes intrigued. Phryne could see she had already fifteen more questions she wanted to pose, but she held her tongue. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

Soon after, she excused herself and moved on. Phryne was certain she would spread the gossip to the other guests immediately. She turned to Jack in order to adjust his tie, which gave her an excellent opportunity to be close enough to whisper to him, “When I kicked you in the shins? Or when I attacked you with wood? Seriously, Jack, you’re not even trying.”

“What about you?” he retorted. “I told you to stay close to the truth to be on the safe side, and then you said you’d always loved me. You could at least _try_ for verisimilitude.” His voice was dry, almost hurt. She pulled too harshly on his tie, making him choke a little. He looked at her angry face and deflated. “Oh. Did you actually mean that?”

“How can you not know?” She looked disbelievingly at him. “I don’t mean love as in I immediately wanted to marry you and have four kids and play croquet. Obviously.” She rolled her eyes. “But of course I loved you. Silly man.”

“And now you _do_ want to have four kids and play croquet?” he replied, goading her, but she didn’t give even a hint of a smile, instead going rigid. “I’m sorry Phryne. That wasn’t particularly funny.”

“That’s not it. He’s here. The arsonist. He just went into the kitchen. Are you ready?” she whispered, and he nodded. 

They regrouped, and there was no time for anything but the case in their head for the next half hour. 

 

*

 

“What a marvellous coincidence you happened to just trip him up when he ran, Miss Fisher,” Cordelia said, beaming at her new friend. “We’re incredibly lucky you happened to be here to find inspiration for your wedding, or this could have ended in disaster.”

The women stood next to each other, watching the local constabulary bring the handcuffed arsonist with them as they were leaving. 

“Yes, that was lucky,” Phryne said. “You never know when a pair of long legs may come in handy.” She had quickly decided she didn’t want to tell the sweet, meddlesome Cordelia exactly how much they had lied to her. She watched Jack as he spoke with the proprietor, his demeanor calming and all his gestures tempered. Her eyes trailed over him, admiring. Perhaps they hadn’t lied that much, after all?

“It’s lucky you have such a skilled fiancée too, Miss Fisher,” Cordelia continued. “And also, if I may say so, quite dashing.” She obviously had been rather taken by Jack’s rush when he ambushed the culprit and managed to stop the fire, before the man ran out and finally succumbed to Miss Fisher’s stealthy legs.

Phryne turned to her.

“I guess I am rather lucky,” she said.

“Also, to have a man who loves you so thoroughly. Just look at the eyes he’s giving you.”

Phryne turned back and saw that Jack was desperately trying to get her attention, wanting them to leave now the arrest had been made, and before they got stuck in more wedding discussions. 

“Perhaps he does,” she said, contemplating.

“Of course he does,” Cordelia said, and added after a slight pause, “and you know what, Miss Fisher? You’ll be absolutely stunning in crimson.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the episode on Brooklyn Nine-Nine where Jake and Amy have to fake being together. This is what my MFMM-infested brain made from it.
> 
> Thank you, tvdetectives, for reading through!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [This Is A Work Event](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14164197) by [RubyCaspar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyCaspar/pseuds/RubyCaspar)




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